U.S. Preventative Task Force says all adults should be tested for HIV, According to Health Day News, new guidelines published in the April 30 issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine suggest that pregnant women and all people aged 15 to 65 be screened for HIV.
The guidelines are now more in line with screening recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The guidelines, last updated in 2005, reflect new evidence about the effectiveness of treatment, especially when started early in the course of HIV infection.
The U.S. Preventative Task Force also recommends that women in labor be tested for HIV if they don't know their status.
About 50,000 people become infected in the United States each year.
The CDC recommends that people with risk factors including multiple sex partners, IV drug use, and men having sex with men get tested at least once a year, and perhaps more.
Right now, 20 to 25 percent of the Americans who are infected with HIV don't know it, according to the task force. The percentage is much higher among teenagers and young adults — about 60 percent.
There is no cure for HIV infection, but it can be managed to help people live healthier and longer lives. Treatment includes medicines to fight the infection (ART), vaccinations against illnesses such as hepatitis B, and medicines to prevent infections that occur more easily if a person is infected with HIV.
The guidelines are now more in line with screening recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The guidelines, last updated in 2005, reflect new evidence about the effectiveness of treatment, especially when started early in the course of HIV infection.
The U.S. Preventative Task Force also recommends that women in labor be tested for HIV if they don't know their status.
About 50,000 people become infected in the United States each year.
The CDC recommends that people with risk factors including multiple sex partners, IV drug use, and men having sex with men get tested at least once a year, and perhaps more.
Right now, 20 to 25 percent of the Americans who are infected with HIV don't know it, according to the task force. The percentage is much higher among teenagers and young adults — about 60 percent.
There is no cure for HIV infection, but it can be managed to help people live healthier and longer lives. Treatment includes medicines to fight the infection (ART), vaccinations against illnesses such as hepatitis B, and medicines to prevent infections that occur more easily if a person is infected with HIV.
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